Tim Allen

Smarter than his grunting comedic persona suggested, Tim Allen turned his stand-up into one of the most successful Hollywood careers of all time. Early setbacks like the death of his father and a stin...
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Enigmatic and deliberate Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy makes no reservations while unraveling its heady spy story for better or worse. The film based on the bestselling novel by John Le Carre is purposefully perplexing effectively mirroring the central character George Smiley's (Gary Oldman) own mind-bending investigation of the British MI6's mole problem. But the slow burn pacing clinical shooting style and air of intrigue only go so far—Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy sports an incredible cast that can't dramatically translate the movie's impenetrable narrative. Almost from the get go the movie collapses under its own weight.
After a botched mission in Hungary that saw his colleague Jim (Mark Strong) gunned down in the streets Smiley and his boss Control (John Hurt) are released from the "Circus" (codename for England's Secret Intelligence Service). But soon after Smiley is brought back on board as an impartial observer tasked to uncover the possible infiltration of the organization. The former agent already dealing with the crippling of his own marriage attempts to sift through the history and current goings on of the Circus narrowing his hunt down to four colleagues: Percy aka "Tinker" (Toby Jones) Bill aka "Tailor" (Colin Firth) Roy aka "Soldier" (Ciaran Hinds) and Toy aka "Poor Man" (David Dencik). Working with Peter (Benedict Cumberbatch) a conflicted younger member of the service and Ricki (Tom Hardy) a rogue agent who has information of his own Smiley slowly uncovers the muddled truth—occasionally breaking in to his own work place and crossing his own friends to do so.
Describing Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy as dense doesn't seem complicated enough. The first hour of the monster mystery moves at a sloth's pace trickling out information like the tedious drips of a leaky faucet. The talent on display is undeniable but the characters Smiley included are so cold that a connection can never be made. TTSS sporadically jumps around from past to present timelines without any indication: a tactic that proves especially confusing when scenes play out in reoccurring locations. It's not until halfway through that the movie decides to kick into high gear Smiley's search for a culprit finally becoming clear enough to thrill. A film that takes its time is one thing but Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy does so without any edge or hook.
What the movie lacks in coherency it makes up for in style and thespian gravitas. Director Tomas Alfredson has assembled some of the finest British performers working today and they turn the script's inaccessible spy jargon into poetry. Firth stands out as the group's suave slimeball a departure from his usual nice guy roles. Hardy assures us he's the next big thing once again as the agency's resident moppet a lover who breaks down after a romantic fling uncovers horrifying truth. Oldman is given the most difficult task of the bunch turning the reserved contemplative Smiley into a real human. He half succeeds—his observational slant in the beginning feels like an extension of the movie's bigger problems but once gets going in the second half of the film he's quite a bit of fun.
Alfredson constructs Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy like a cinematic architect each frame dripping with perfectly kitschy '70s production design and camera angles that make the spine tingle. He creates paranoia through framing similar to the Coppola's terrifying The Conversation but unlike that film TTSS doesn't have the characters or story to match. The movie strives to withhold information and succeeds—too much so. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy wants us to solve a mystery with George Smiley but it never clues us in to exactly why we should want to.

Another true classic has hit Netflix’s Instant Watch service this week. I’ll give you a hint; it’s the title of this article.
But as the director of this film is quite prolific, it’s possible that it has been awhile since you’ve revisited this weird, wonderful movie. We humbly submit, for your instant queue consideration, Edward Scissorhands.
Who Made It: Edward Scissorhands was directed by Tim Burton, and many of his signature gothic tropes are alive and well within the film. The reason I think that Edward Scissorhands garners so much reverence, even among Burton fans, is that it was the last live-action original property we got from him. Since Edward Scissorhands, with the exception of the animated Corpse Bride, Burton has been working exclusively in adaptations of one preexisting source material or another. Even Mars Attacks was based on a trading card game. It’s not that adaptations are necessarily bad, but it’s a shame that someone with his imagination keeps playing in other people’s sandboxes.
Who’s In It: Edward Scissorhands stars Johnny Depp in the bizarre titular role. This is easily one of Depp’s most incredible performances. He plays Edward with such a sweet naiveté and amiable innocence all while buried under a mountain of wild hair and makeup. This was the first of what would eventually be seven collaborations between the two.
What’s It About: An Avon saleslady travels out of her typical route to the dilapidated castle overlooking her neighborhood. Inside she finds not a costumer, but a strange young man named Edward who has scissors for hands. He’s obviously been living all alone for years so the kindly woman decides to take him home with her. Despite his weird appearance, he is ingratiated into the community as a colorful oddity; all the more so when his creative flair for landscaping and hair styling is discovered. But soon the tide of public opinion turns against Edward, through little fault of his own, and he becomes a pariah.
Why You Should Watch It:
Of all of Tim Burton’s films, Edward Scissorhands is arguably the most unique. Most of that can be attributed to the stellar production design of Bo Welch. Welch managed to smash two very divergent aesthetics into one fantastic concept. We have gothic castles with interiors plucked from an Edgar Allen Poe nightmare juxtaposed against a quaint 60s style neighborhood drowning in pastels and conformity. Every single house is exactly the same design with identical diamond patterns adoring their garage doors. What’s really amazing is to watch the magic and surrealism of this outlandish castle bleed into the stuffy middle-class environment; suddenly these cookie-cutter houses are dotted with elaborate topiaries.
In addition to Johnny Depp, Edward Scissorhands boasts a tremendous supporting cast. Winona Ryder plays the young love interest. bringing a lot of the same offbeat severity from Beetlejuice, but with decidedly more optimism. Alan Arkin and Dianne Wiest are sensational as the parents of the family that adopts Edward; Wiest’s stalwart adherence to the lessons she learned in the Avon handbook—even informing her physicality—is hilarious. Anthony Michael Hall, just five years removed from The Breakfast Club, is convincing as the high school bully. But above all others, Vincent Price as the kindly old man who created Edward is the heart and soul of the movie. He is so frail and yet his old school horror legacy makes him a formidable presence. This would be the last time we would see Price on the screen before he retired to another plane of existence.
Another pair of reasons to see this film involves the score and the practical effects. As with so many Tim Burton films, the score in Edward Scissorhands was provided by the legendary Danny Elfman. There are many of his trademark elements at work within the score. The usage of haunting, echoing disembodied voices denotes the film’s most fantasy-laden scenes. But Elfman also creates interesting musical landscapes for the neighborhood to emphasize the provincial existence of the inhabitants. Overall, I think it’s one of the best scores he’s done to date. As you watch the film, and find yourself in awe of the design of Edward’s signature appendages, the man you should be praising is the late Stan Winston. As with every piece of this cinematic icon’s work, the scissor apparatus on Edward’s hands is as much a feat of engineering as it is an impressive special effect.
What I love most about this film is its basic concept. Edward Scissorhands is essentially Frankenstein’s monster comes to the suburbs. A few weeks ago I spoke of the underlying Frankenstein motifs at play in David Cronenberg’s The Fly; the risks of arrogance in scientific pursuit and how it can backfire. Edward Scissorhands also seems to have tinges of a modern Frankenstein story, but from the perspective of the monster. Edward is created by a scientist in a lab and introduced to villagers who quite literally chase him back to his castle with torches in hand. He wants to be one of them, but their intolerance unleashes his wrath and drives a wedge between them that ultimately precludes their coexistence.
Also, you know, he’s got those super cool scissors for hands.

Officials at the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, who stage the annual prizegiving, have voted for the outrageous funnyman to hit the stage again in January (12).
The news will be made official once all contracts are signed, according to Variety.
During his stint as host at the beginning of 2011, irreverent Gervais came under fire for going too far with jokes about Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie's movie The Tourist and Tim Allen, among others.

This Friday, America will be graced with Alexander Payne's The Descendants, a movie that is resting with at least some substance on the pull of its cherished leading man: George Clooney. Although Clooney has the star power, it is important not to forget some of the smaller players in The Descendants, like Judy Greer.
Some of you might not recognize Greer by name, but you'd know her if you saw her. Greer is one of those omnipresent supporting actors, with smaller roles in countless movies. Although Greer is quite the formidable example of this type of performer, she is certainly not one the only one. See if you can guess the other supporting actors with impressive resumes from the hints provided below (the answers are below the videos)! Beware: some of the clips below are NSFW.
This Supporting Actor has played a mob boss who was outsmarted by Billy Crystal, a detective who is duped by Kevin Spacey, a gangster who befriends Robert De Niro’s son, and a nightclub owner who makes Chris Kattan very uncomfortable.
The Answer?
It's Chazz Palminteri!
This Supporting Actor has played a preppy WASP who is startled by Christina Ricci, the estranged biological mother of Robin Williams’ son, Warren Beatty’s unfaithful wife, and a mild-mannered reporter investigating a murderous Renée Zellweger,
The Answer?
It's Christine Baranski!
This Supporting Actor has played a businessman who likes to “Pow!” Will Ferrell, a taser-happy Nevada policeman with no patience for Bradley Cooper, a disloyal CIA agent who betrays Ashton Kutcher and a former military man who amps up the strength of Rob Corddry's paintball team.
The Answer?
It's Rob Riggle!
This Supporting Actor has played the flighty mother of an attendant of Johnny Depp’s chocolate factory, a long-named dodgeball champ who falls in love with Joel David Moore, the tentacled crewmember of Tim Allen’s space ship, and as a member of a futuristic society wherein Zach Galifianakis greets people by giving them the finger.
The Answer?
It's Missi Pyle!
This Supporting Actor has played a slimy gangster in a Coen Brothers movie, a bumbling producer’s assistant in a Coen Brothers movie, an inept private eye in a Coen Brothers movie and a mysterious dry cleaning investor in a Coen Brothers movie.
The Answer?
It's Jon Polito!
This Supporting Actor has played a med school interviewer who lost his temper with Kal Penn, the headstrong future father-in-law of Jason Biggs, a catchphrase-happy former actor involved in a folk music production starring Eugene Levy, and the captain of a space ship fostering the entire population of a very overweight humanity.
The Answer?
It's Fred Willard!
This Supporting Actor has played an airheaded secretary at Matthew Broderick’s high school, the neglectful mother of Juliet Lewis, an airport employee who curses out Steve Martin, and the doting assistant to a college-bound Rodney Dangerfield.
The Answer?
It's Edie McClurg!
This Supporting Actor has played an untrusting bureaucrat who teaches Ron Perlman how to smoke a cigar, the mayor of a village that Jim Carrey villainizes, the father of one of Ben Stiller’s camp counselors, and the co-coach of Paul Giamatti’s wrestling team. But of course, he's probably best known for his TV work...
The Answer?
It's Jeffrey Tambor!
This Supporting Actor has played a soldier on Tom Hanks’ rescue mission, one of the only non-imaginary friends of Russell Crowe, a college student who gets attacked by an anti-Semitic Michael Rapaport (suspension of disbelief), and a high schooler who pals around with Anthony Rapp.
The Answer?
It's Adam Goldberg!
This Supporting Actor has played a vindictive prep school dean who was chastised by Al Pacino, an FBI employee who is outsmarted by Joe Pesci, an underhanded politician who is outshined by Chris Rock, and the Secretary of Defense who fends off alien attackers with Will Smith.
The Answer?
It's James Rebhorn!

Nick Jonas is a paragon of innocence, wholesomeness and not being an estranged babydaddy. Or so we thought. If you've been watching ABC's new sitcom Last Man Standing, starring Tim Allen, then you already know about the as-of-yet unseen character Ryan, the father of Kristen's (Alexandra Krosney) baby who left her to care for the child on her own. Kristen is the oldest daughter of Allen's character, Mike Baxter; it goes without saying that he's not too fond of this Ryan individual. But Ryan will have a chance to win us over on the Christmas episode, and the very non-Ryan Nick Jonas will be the actor portraying him. Last Man Standing airs on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC. -TVLine
Jessie J is back—and not sitting-down-in-the-middle-of-a-stage-while-other-people-dance-around-her back. I mean back back. The British artist will be making her way overseas to deliver a special appearance on America's newest musical talent competition series, The X-Factor. Jessie J will make her appearance on this week's results show, airing Thursday, Nov. 10 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Fox. - THR
Franklin &amp; Bash is pretty much just a gift to any young adult who suffers from pop culture nostalgia. The two stars are Breckin Meyer and Zack Morris, palling around as fun-loving lawyers. Adding to our yearnings for the days of cinema past is new guest star Sean Astin, who will appear on a Season 2 episode when the series returns to TNT. Astin is the star of old favorites The Goonies, Encino Man and Rudy (I know he has the Lord of the Rings movies under his belt now, but I prefer to remember him scowering the sewers for the treasure of One-Eyed Willy.) On Franklin &amp; Bash, he will play a security guard who takes on a "superhero" persona after hours and fights crime, cape and all. The stars come to his defense when he is accused of murder. -TVLine

And the hits keep on coming. ABC seems to be doing pretty well with its new series, first they pick up Revenge and Suburgatory and now their new drama Once Upon a Time and the Tim Allen comedy Last Man Standing have full season orders as well. In addition to those new shows, the uncertain fate of Happy Endings is now sealed: the ensemble comedy also got a full season pickup.
While these series are doing well, some aren't performing as well as the network had hoped. Pan Am is dragging its feet, but it's clear that the network is fully supporting the fledgling show. They haven't ordered a full season, but they are delivering a bit of a break by ordering five more episodes. If the last episode is any indication, the series has added a little more punch and perhaps this extra set of episodes is exactly what it needs to really grab a hold. Of course there's also the possibility that this ship has sailed.
Source: TVline

In the show, Depp agrees to a meeting with Gervais and his writing partner Stephen Merchant and immediately lets the Brit know he has still not forgiven for poking fun at his film The Tourist at the 2011 Golden Globes.
Flicking his cigarette ash into Gervais' glass of water, the movie star says, "I've just done another film that's gonna make loads of money, probably a lot more money than any film you've ever made."
He later tells the Brit that his friend and perennial co-star Helena Bonham Carter thinks "you're an idiot".
The hostility prompts the funnyman to ask, "Have I done something to offend you?" to which Depp replies, "What do you mean, like trash me in front of, like, 200 million people at the Golden Globes?"
Pretending to be upset, Gervais responds, "Those were jokes, Johnny."
Keeping a straight face, Depp leans across the table and tells the comedian, "I want you to know this and I want you to carry this with you for the rest of your days - no one makes fun of Tim Allen on my watch."
Gervais came under fire for remarks he made at the Golden Globes in January (11), particularly one that mocked Allen's talent. The comment prompted presenter Tom Hanks to defend his Toy Story co-star - he called the Brit's humour "mean-spirited".

I can almost guarantee that Toy Story is a near-exact illustration of what Shawn Levy's childhood was like: his best friends were his playthings that he always sort of knew, in the back of his head, were alive. And that's what drives him to make so many movies about non-living things becoming living things. As if both Night at the Museum movies and Reel Steel weren't enough, he's now taking a stab at the original toy-come-to-life story: Pinocchio. Only, he's not really focusing on the whole Pinocchio aspect (naturally); instead, he's working on a prequel about the love life of Pinocchio's father, Gepetto. The script is titled The Three Misfortunes of Gepetto, and it is written by Michael Vukadinovich.
The newest entity in the cyclone of re-imagination that has hit Hollywood will follow the lonely puppeteer through an adventure to win the heart of a girl named Julia Moon. This name alone is a departure from the more European-sounding names of the original Disney film's characters (Pinocchio, Gepetto, Figaro, Cleo, Monstro...let's call Jiminy Cricket a tourist). A minor detail, perhaps, but should this indicate other, wider liberties taken with the story and character we know and love?
But back to the matter at hand: Levy has a truly strange fixation on this whole "things coming to life" theme that doesn't stop at the works listed. He's also attached to a Frankenstein project written by Max Landis. Hopefully this will satisfy his craving for now...if Levy gets involved with any of those rumored projects like Toy Story 4, Short Circuit reboot or Indian in the Cupboard IMAX Experience (okay, that last one I just made up), someone might have to call a good therapist. Source: Deadline

After Disney’s Tim Burton-directed take on Alice in Wonderland scored the studio a one-billion-dollar-plus-grossing worldwide hit, it was only a matter of time before the studio’s live-action family-film division would offer another revisionist, auteur-centered interpretation of a timeless, beloved fantasy property. So, in March 2013, exactly three years after Alice’s release, the Mouse House and director Sam Raimi (the Spider-Man and Evil Dead trilogies) are bringing The Wizard of Oz prequel Oz: The Great and Powerful to multiplexes.
Since Oz: The Great and Powerful, which follows the titular wizard’s first, unexpected journey into the yellow-brick-road-paved, magical land, just began production a month ago, Disney didn’t have more than a brief behind-the-scenes featurette to whet fans’ appetites at the studio’s D23 Expo, held this past weekend in Anaheim. But based on concept art unveiled within the making-of reel, it’s clear the studio is adhering to a “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” policy. Production designer Robert Stromberg’s (winner of the Art Direction Oscar for Alice in Wonderland, along with Karen O’Hara) sketches of Oz reveal it to be a more emerald-tinted cousin to the trippy, lushly colorful Wonderland of his and Burton’s film, with a few eye-catching surprises (like a large, grass-covered mountain shaped like a rhinoceros) added.
Although Disney won’t have Alice’s star Johnny Depp to lure audiences to Oz: The Great and Powerful, they may have taken a wise gamble in putting James Franco front and center as the Wizard. Franco’s an immensely gifted young actor whose taste in edgy roles (like gay Beat poet Allen Ginsberg in Howl) and occasional tendency to appear sleepy and—how shall I put this?—perhaps herbally enhanced (most notoriously in his embarrassingly awkward hosting stint opposite the relatively high-energy Anne Hathaway at this year’s Oscars) nevertheless made him an eyebrow-raising choice to anchor a kid-friendly project. But the D23 set footage showed him comfortably at home in his Oz period garb, and in an interview, the actor’s description of this film’s version of the Wizard as “a cad, a lothario, a seducer” put the news of his casting in a whole new light. If Franco can bring the same devilish, flirtatious charm he brought to those early scenes opposite Kate Mara and Amber Tamblyn in 127 Hours—which landed the actor his first Oscar nomination—than expect a charismatic star turn in Oz.
Franco will be backed by the formidable female trio of Rachel Weisz, Michelle Williams, and Mila Kunis as three Oz-dwelling witches. So that leaves Zach Braff as the Wizard’s comic-relief assistant as the only casting choice that still doesn’t make sense. The trope of the wacky sidekick has become tiresomely old-hat, and it’s hard to imagine the spazzy clowning Braff brought to TV’s Scrubs working in this less goofy context.
Oz: The Great and Powerful opens March 8, 2013.

At some point in the early years of the 21st century a bunch of Hollywood executives must have gotten together and decided that animated films should be made for all audiences. The goal was perhaps to make movies that are simultaneously accessible to the older and younger sets with colorful imagery that one expects from children’s films and two levels of humor: one that’s quite literal and harmless and another that’s somewhat subversive. The criteria has resulted in cross-generational hits like Wall-E and Madagascar and though it’s nice to be able to take my nephew to the movies and be as entertained by cartoon characters as he is I can’t help but wonder what happened to unabashedly innocent animated classics like A Goofy Movie and The Land Before Time?
Disney’s Winnie The Pooh is the answer to the Shrek’s and Hoodwinked!’s of the world: a short sweet simple and lighthearted tale of friendship that doesn’t need pop-culture references or snarky dialogue to put a smile on your face. Directors Stephen J. Anderson and Don Hall found some fresh ways to deliver adorable animation while keeping the carefree spirit of A.A. Milne’s source material in tact. Their story isn’t the most original; the first part of the film finds Pooh Piglet Tigger and Owl searching for Eeyore’s tail (a common plot point in the books and past Pooh films) and hits all the predictable notes but the second half mixes things up a bit as the crew searches for a missing Christopher Robin whom they believe has been kidnapped by a forest creature known as the “Backson” (it’s really just the result of the illiterate Owl or is it?).
The beauty of hand-drawn animation all but forgotten until recently is what makes Winnie the Pooh so incredibly magnetic. There’s an inexplicable crispness to the colors and characters that CG just can’t duplicate. It’s a more personal practice for the filmmakers and should provide a refreshing experience for audiences who have become jaded with the pristine presentation of computerized imagery. The film is bookended by brief live-action shots from inside Robin’s room an interesting dynamic that plays up the simplicity of youth ties it to these beloved characters and brings you right back to memories of your own childhood.
With a just-over-an-hour run time Winnie the Pooh is short enough to hold the attention of children but won’t bore the parents who will love the film mainly for nostalgic musings. Still it’s the young’uns who will most enjoy this breezy bright and enchanting film that proves old-school characters can appeal to new moviegoers.

Formed Boxing Cat Productions to work in graphic arts, design and commercial production

Summary

Smarter than his grunting comedic persona suggested, Tim Allen turned his stand-up into one of the most successful Hollywood careers of all time. Early setbacks like the death of his father and a stint in prison gave Allen the drive to pursue comedy, and his affectionate dissection of the differences between the genders - focusing especially on the confusions of modern masculinity - spring-boarded him to stand-up stardom, leading to the massive hit sitcom, "Home Improvement" (ABC, 1991-99). The show won him buckets of awards and fans around the world for his portrayal of lovable lunkhead Tim "The Tool Man" Taylor. Notching a No. 1 book <i>Don't Stand Too Close to a Naked Man</i>, a TV show and a hit movie at the same time in a rare entertainment trifecta, and Allen went on to rule the box office with two trilogies: "The Santa Clause" (1994, 2002, 2006) and "Toy Story" (1995, 1999, 2010). Fans followed him to other projects, too; Allen toplined moneymakers like "Galaxy Quest" (1999), "Christmas with the Kranks" (2004) and "Wild Hogs" (2007). Even as his star momentum slowed, the goodwill Allen built up with his early, supernova-level success seemed to assure the comedian as long a career as he chose.

Education

Name

University of Michigan

Western Michigan University

Ernest W. Seaholm High School

Notes

In 1978, Allen was arrested for helping to sell drugs including cocaine and marijuana.

In 1979, Allen was arrested for the second time in the Kalamazoo-Battle Creek International Airport for possession of 1.4 lb of cocaine. He subsequently informed on other drug dealers in exchange for a reduction in his eventual sentence from a possible life imprisonment to three to seven years. He was jailed for 28 months, in the Sandstone, MN Federal Correctional Institution. He was released in 1981.

In 1997, Allen was arrested for DUI in Oakland County, Michigan. He pleaded guilty on June 16 and was fined, sentenced to a year of probation, and ordered to seek counseling.

In 1998, Allen received an honorary degree from Western Michigan University.